Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Dear City of Galveston...

...thank you so much for taking time to drop by our home/RV today! When I got home from work/picking the kids up from school, I was excited to see your flyer on my door, hoping it meant you had finally had a chance to inspect our house and let us know if we are to rebuild or repair it. But I was NOT expecting what I found instead. I didn't realize you guys had enough extra time to go around putting flyers on RV's solely for the purpose of letting those folks know that you've now made up a bunch of new rules regarding RV's. I was surprised to find out that:

1. I have to PAY YOU for a permit to have an RV2. I have to PAY YOU for a permit to hook utilities up to it3. I can only park in my own driveway, not my neighbor's4. I can't cross the easement, so the RV we purchased is too long for our driveway, even though I live on a dead-end street.5. Whether my house is finshed or not, I have to remove the RV from the city by June 1, 2009 (start of next hurricane season). After all, it would be horrible for a hurricane to appear in the Gulf and for my family to be able to pack up our entire home and drive it off the island, huh??

Surely you can imagine my surprise to discover that not only have you made up a bunch of new rules which make life MORE difficult for your citizens, but you've also wasted precious time handing out these ridiculous rules instead of doing what's important like inspecting my house so I can work on it!! I suppose I should've just moved into a FEMA hotel room (which, by the way, time runs out on this weekend) and waited for YOU to tell me how to live before I made decisions on my own about putting a roof over my kids head. I should've somehow known you would have some rules that would limit me to a tiny trailer in my own driveway rather than a 35 foot motorhome in my neighbor's giant driveway. I suppose you think it would be better for me to live in your lovely tent city (that you are, by the way, closing tomorrow) than to provide my own shelter in an effort not to live off of others. What was I thinking?!?!?! So, City of Galveston, thanks SO MUCH for all your help during this difficult time. I'll see you soon, as I'm heading to City Hall with my two kids, two dogs and a few sleeping bags. Slumber Party!

7 comments:

Boy the city of G sure sounds like the kind I place I want to live.. Hugs Nancy! This is unimaginable, unthinkable & downright inconsiderate of them. You're saving THEM money and this is what you get... Thats it, pack up LTR and the kids and move to Maine. Its only 30 degrees this morning..

WOW, nothing like punching you in the gut during a bad situation. I am sure you will give them a piece of your mind . . . I mean if you did not return that is money they would not be getting for services they provide. Sorry they are making life even harder . . . go get 'em and keep us posted. I mean really what idiots!

TexasBug, I'm not surprised at all... seems to fit in with most of the other things they have been doing. Like calling for 'shelter in place' with a massive cat 2 storm on the horizon, raising property taxes after the storm, keeping residence away from their home for 11 days, forcing us to wait on their decisions about our homes, then making them wait for hours to get the required permits (you know, after Alicia in 1983 many home repair / work permits were waived for a few months), keeping businesses shut down for 11 days while they could have been conducting business and making money for needed repairs, making the west end a 'no-fly zone' !?!?

My house had 6 feet of water in the living area, my decisions are much easier than your's. As much as I love the island (my hometown) I will probably move up to the mainland. I'm about fed up with them. ~ JP Islander